Illuminated sign



Patented Dec. 12, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUltflNATED SIGN Thomas W. Haywood, Jr., Warrenton, N. 0. Application November 17, 1942, Serial No. 465,901

' 2 Claims.

My invention relates to advertising devices, and has among its objects and advantages-the provision of an improved illuminated sign.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view;

Figure 3 is an end view;

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In the embodiment selected for illustration, I make use of a base l having-two side walls I2 provided with right angular flanges l4 lying in a common horizontal plane and facing each other. Each flange I4 is provided with a groove I extending throughout its full length. A fluorescent tube I8 is mounted between the side walls l2 and above a reflector 20 arranged to reflect v light rays upwardly.

Characters or display elements 22 are detachably associated with the flanges I4. These characters comprise material such astranslucent phenol resins or the like. I prefer to employ characters formed of a plastic known in the trade as Lucite. All the characters are provided with tongues 24 slidabiy receivable in the grooves l6. Spacers 26 are positioned between the respective characters, which spacers are also provided with tongues receivable in the grooves it. These spacers coact with the base ends of the characters to provide an enclosure for the tube 18. All the spacers are preferably of opaque material, and the spacers and the characters terminate in a common plane inside the base.

All the characters are provided with diagonal faces 28 and the base portions 30 of the characters are covered with opaque plates 32. All the outer faces of the plates 32 terminate flush with the upper faces of the flanges l4 and the spacers 28. Each end wall 34 is also provided with tongues receivable in the grooves It.

The characters 22 may constitute letters of the alphabet, numerals. acombination of both or other designs. Because of the nature of the material from which the characters are formed, all the characters will glow when the tube I8 is illuminated. The upper ends of the charactersare inclined to the horizontal to increase their readability from positions to one side of the sign.

The characters, the spacers 26 and the end walls 34 coact with the two side walls l2 to provide a lightproof housing. All the characters are easily rearranged by merely sliding the characters relatively to the flanges l4. In employing a, plastic for the characters, such characters may be easily formed to various contours and at a relatively low cost. In addition, the glowing characters provide an attractive and highly efficient sign. The tube I8 is mounted on one of the end walls 34.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of 1. In an illuminated sign,'an elongated rectangular base frame having upstanding front and rear walls, a longitudinally extending flange proiecting inwardly from the top of each of said walls, the inner edges of each flange having a longitudinally extending groove, a plurality of display elements supported in upstanding relation on the base, each of said elements having tongues protruding from opposed sides thereof adjacent the bottom face slidably eng sins said grooves, and a plurality of flat spacing elements disposed between the bottom parts of the display elements, said spacing elements having tongues projecting from opposed edges thereof and slidably engaging the grooves.

2. The invention described in claim 1 wherein said display elements are formed of translucent material and have their top faces acutely inclined with relation to their bottom faces, said spacing elements being opaque, and a source 

